Nationals Might Have to Make Decision on Miles Mikolas Sooner Rather Than Later

The Washington Nationals lost their third series in a row on Wednesday.

This is a frustrating reality since they really should have taken two out of three against the Philadelphia Phillies and then won the first two games of their set against the St. Louis Cardinals. But bullpen struggles have doomed this team once again, and there's no telling if it can be fixed.

However, the relief staff isn't the only place where there is a clear weakness on the roster. Despite bringing in some new faces for the starting rotation, that unit still has some issues. And one of them is due to the poor play of right-hander Miles Mikolas.

Nationals Might Have to Move on From Miles Mikolas

Washington Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Signed to be a veteran presence and innings eater for this rotation, the 10-year big league arm has not had a good start to the season. Across his three starts, he has an 0-2 record with a 12.41 ERA after allowing 17 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings pitched.

Mikolas has given Washington virtually no chance to win during his outings. And against the Cardinals, which was his lone start without getting credited for a loss, he was pulled following three innings of work after giving up two earned runs on five hits and three walks. That caused the Nationals to go to their maligned bullpen early, which is not what that unit needed right now.

Simply put, Washington has to decide if they want to keep trotting the 37-year-old out there every fifth day. At this point in time, it seems like if they do continue with that strategy, they can pencil in a loss whenever Mikolas is scheduled to start. And while he was not expected to be a high-end starter for the Nationals this season, he has not accomplished his job of eating innings since the longest outing of his campaign thus far has been five innings.

Nationals Have Replacement Options in Triple-A

Washington Nationals pitcher Andrew Alvarez | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

If Washington decides to cut bait with Mikolas, they do have options they can turn to in Triple-A. Mitchell Parker, who was a starter for them the past two years, could be the first choice. But Andrew Alvarez, who is coming off being named the International League Pitcher of the Week, might also be at the top of the list following his impressive showing in the bigs last season.

Either way, the Nationals have internal options they can turn to if they no longer feel like Mikolas is an answer for them in the rotation. And as this pitching staff continues to come under more scrutiny, Washington might have to make that decision sooner rather than later.